Ferdinand von Mueller

Christmasday,

Melbourne, 1866.

In first instance, dear Sir Roderick, I have to express my most grateful acknowlegements for the munificent contributions sent by you, Lady Murchison, Mr Cardwell, Lady Franklin, Mess. Coutts & the Roy. Geographical Society for the continuation of the search for Leichhardt. I have handed the sums over to the Lady-Treasurer, Mrs Dr Cutts, who will acknowledge the receipt publicly.

2

'Mr Farley reported having paid a cheque for £200 drawn in favor of the Leichhardt Search Expedition to to Messrs. Cocks, Biddulph & Co for transmission to Dr. Mueller, Melbourne.' (Royal Geographical Society, London, Committee MInutes August 1865-June 1872, p. 35 (Finance Committee minutes for the meeting of 5 November 1866)).

The Argus, 22 January 1867, p. 5 reported: 'The treasurer of the Ladies' Leichardt Search Committee informs us that the following important subscriptions have been received:—Her Majesty the Queen, £100; Royal Geographical Society, £200; Sir Roderick and Lady Murchison, £20; Right Hon. Mr. Cardwell, £25;'Messrs. Coutts and Co., £20 ; and Lady Franklyn, £5'. The Argus report was reprinted in other newspapers, for example, Brisbane courier, 7 February 1867, p. 2.

It is with deep sorrow that I must inform you, how disheartening & disastrous the intelligence is, which arrives from Carpentaria. Mr Clement Ives, who accompanied Dr White to the Gulf with a view of offering his services to the Expedition, died of malignant remittent fever, which seems to range widely over the country. Indeed I have recently learnt, that the fever spread southward as far as New South Wales. The party is directed to advance to the south west as far as their means admit to do so with safety. This will bring them far away from the fever regions, though it must be remembered that all the upland country towards the upper parts of the Gulf rivers is dry and arid; hence the party ought to be on the Gulf Rivers away from the jungles quite safe.

Simultaneously with the death of Mr Ives we learnt that of Mr Sloman, who, it is my painful duty to report, died of an apoplectic fit. This is all I hitherto know through a telegraphic message from Port Denison.

3

The port for Bowen, Qld.

He died very few days after his departure from Julia Creek, the Head Quarters of the Expedition. You will observe, that while we would require from 3 to 4 months time to receive an answer to any of our communications, we had to authorize some Gentleman at the Gulf to exercise some surveillance over the party & to appoint any new Officer or member of the Expedition should vacancies occur. Otherwise we should expend so much fund while the party would be stationary & thus not apply the means generously granted us for the purpose for which they were intended. Moreover Mr M'Intyres uncle

4

Donald Campbell.

has entered into a contract with the Ladies Committee on their request for the completion of the search

5

See Agreement with Donald Campbell, 27 August 1866.

& thus becomes responsible for all outlays, which, I fear, will greatly exceed the sum available for him under the stipulations of the contract. As the members of the party with exception of the excellent Dr White are nearly all strangers to us here; it became necessary to Mr Campbell to entrust his nephew with a general supervision of the Expedition.

The courage must under the circumstances sink within all of us, and I fear geographical exploits will be altogether abandoned if our prospects do not brighten, and poor Leichhardts cause will again be foresaken.

Had the disasters not occurred at Coopers Creek and then not the strength & resources of the Expedition so ruinously suffered, I think it likely the party would never have advanced to the Gulf-shores but struck away from the back country of Carpentary

6

Carpentaria?

south westward; and it is not improbably, that provided as they are with Camels, the travellers might have got safely across to the S. W. Australian settlements, under the leadership of so robust daring & intelligent a man as the late D. M'Intyre.

Our Expedition has general instructions only and these advise to be guided by circumstances. We never though of a likelihood of paludal fever spreading far away from the Mangrove shores & it was expected, should such be the case, that they should retreat to the dry back country, which is as dry as a desert! in very many places.

Confirmation of Larn[o]cks & Dempsters accounts of Leichhardts presence (according to traditional accounts of the natives) in the interior of the West Australian Territory has been obtained by Hunts recent Expedition. Hence both for Leichhardts sake and for the sake of Geography we should push across in that direction. I daresay the same information will be afloat among the natives for hundreds of miles & at last a clue be obtained. But then! is the story more reliable than that of the Barcoo tribes, which misled us for a dozen years?

I shall urge on the West Austral Government to ship a few Dromedaries from Aden to King-Georges Sound. They would quickly come by the P. & O. mail steamers and as Mr Coppins 7 shipped to Melbourne could be sold for £350 together, the importation into W. Austr ought to cost less than £50 for each animal. A few of these creatures would enable the explorers to reconnoitre beyond where horses could go & to find water to advance upon. It is a thousand pity that the many courageous travellers who advanced so far inland from W. Australia, were repulsed simply for the want of a few of such Camels. To Major Warburton they would likewise have been of the greatest possible use.

7

Threadgill (1922, p. 162) describes the 'general dryness of the country' as forcing Warburton to retreat during his expedition of 1866.

The journal of M'Intyre you receive complete by this mail.

8

A copy of the journal as printed in the Melbourne Age , 23 November 1866, has been pasted into a scrapbook and is filed with this letter. There are some minor textual corrections in M's hand. See M to the Editor of the Age, 22 November 1866, for the letter transmitting the journal.

I have also the pleasure to send as a present to the R.G.S. a set of drawings made by the late Mr Herrgolt

9

Herrgott?

during Mr Babbages

10

1858. See Threadgill (1922), vol. 1, p. 21, n. 80.

& Mr Stuarts

11

Presumably an error; Herrgott accompanied Stuart on his second, 1859, expedition (Threadgill (1922), vol. 1, p. 45, n. 7; see also p. 19, n. 72).

first Expedition. They admirably illustrate the nature of the N.W. interior of S. Austr. Since 6 or 7 years these drawings have been left unutilized through poor Mr Herrgolts death. I secured them now as private offer of mine for the R.G.S. The majority of the sketches have been drawn anew by Mr Chevalier, the famous artist, and those which have not the benefit of remodellation through that Gentleman’s skill, may perhaps be fused into a similar form by some of the artistic members of the Society. Thus I offer the sketches as they are. If they cannot receive printed publicity they may at least serve to decorate your walls.

12

There is no evidence in the Royal Geographical Society that any of the sixteen sketches were published. The titles of the sketches are listed in the Geographical journal, vol. 38, pp. cxxiv-v, 1868, and are filed in the RGS Picture Library, X390/22650 - X390/22665.

From what I have seen of the interior they are most faithful pictures of its physiognomy & besides they give a vivid idea of Australian exploring movements far away from settlements.

I remain in deep & grateful veneration, dear Sir Roderick,

The discovery of a new Casuarius named by me C Johnsonii, in N. E. Australia will interest you. It is only the third species of Cassowary known.

13

See B66.12.02.